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Monday, August 20, 2012

Grilling Fruit and Vegetables Recipes and Tips

Grilling peaches is an art. Here they are on my pit.

The Art of Grilling Fruits and Veggies

Grilling fruits and vegetables can be as much of a learning experience as grilling beef, pork, poultry or fish. People think I am crazy because I put just as much time into grilling my veggies and fruits than I do my meats. Mainly I look at these items as a side item and a lot of time a form of a healthier dessert option. I wanted to tell you a few tips for grilling fruits and veggies if you are a beginner, and maybe bring a few things to your attention if you are not.

Fruits

Certain fruits handle the heat better than most. Nothing like a fine grilled fruit to finish off your meal. Some of my favorite fruits to grill on the direct grill are apples, peaches and pears.

Apples, Peaches and Pears

For apples, I love to core the apple, slice large round layers and cover in butter and cinnamon then grill. Sometimes I leave the skin on but this is optional. Peaches I've been known to grill in the skin and add some maple syrup on top. This foodie site, http://www.grilledpeaches.net has a lot of information on grilled peaches. Nothing like a fresh warm peach hot off the smoker. Pears I've been experimenting with and find you can really add any taste you want to them. Wife prefers brown sugar on them.

Hot Sweet Berry Mess

For other fruits like blackberries, raspberries and blueberries, I've been known to put them in a pocket of aluminum foil with a tiny pinch of butter and grill them good. This will half bake them and they will become runny. Nothing like adding this warm messy mix of berries on top your pie or ice cream. Yummy.

Grilling Limes and Oranges

Just for fun we cut some limes and oranges and grilled them up. These don't take long, and you must keep in large round slices with rind on or they will fall through the grates. A few slices of each makes a tasty treat and garnish on a pie, cup of sherbert or ice cream.

One of my fair signs, selling grilled corn is a big hit.

Grilling Corn

We grill our corn right in the husk, turning often. If you are grilling meat, cook your corn on the side but if your corn is done prior to your meat, put your husk up on top your meat like we did here. You are going to remove the husk anyways and your goal is to keep the corn off indirect heat so it doesn't dry out once it's done.

The best way to find out if your corn is done is to squeeze it. If the corn feels hard to the touch, it's not done. If the corn is softer to the touch, it's done.

Be careful removing the husk because it will be hotter than hell's bells and the steam can burn you. Now we coat in butter and Old Bay Seasoning, this is a Maryland specialty. We sell a lot of this on the road. Grilling on an open pit makes it taste altogether different.

Tomato, Pepper and Onion Pockets

Certain veggies are not your friend, take for instance the almighty tomato. If you are grilling this for a kabob, add within the last few minutes or they will become mushy and fall apart. Now, you can use some aluminum foil and make a pocket with green pepper slices, white onion slices and cut tomatoes. Add some seasoning of choice and within 40 minutes turning several times you will have a nice grilled medley. We use Italian seasoning if we are in the mood for Italian style, sometimes adding extra basil and garlic to the mix. If you put two to three teaspoons of Italian dressing this will usually give it a good flavor without using the dry herbs. We've also been known to season it only with butter and our dry rub seasoning for a grilled flavor.

Crookneck has a very hard skin, so cut long ways and grill skin side down at first.

Squash and Zucchini

We grill squash all the time. In fact, there's a few ways to do it. The best way for crookneck or any kind of squash with a hard skin, is to cut the squash horizontally into long layers and grill on the open flame. We like to cut some of the seeds out but this is optional. Turn occasionally and about 3/4 of the way, turn to the skin side and finish grilling, coating your squash with butter, salt and pepper. Some like to add their own spices at this point.

Don't get me wrong, squash doesn't really have a lot of flavor, so its' one of those foods you can add your own flavor too. We find maple syrup makes any kind of squash taste like a dream.

Zucchini squash can be cut in slices and put into an aluminum foil pocket with butter and cinnamon and a pinch of brown sugar for the tastiest dessert ever.

What do you grill?

Share your grilled fruit or veggie pictures with me by tweeting to @BigFatDaddys and I may just use your photo right here!